Selecting the optimal ion beam for sequential MeV secondary ion mass spectrometry and particle-induced X‑ray emission in the characterization of biological and cultural heritage materials

Siketić, Zdravko; Krmpotić, Matea; Matijević, Matija; Brajković, Marko; Masekane, Masedi Carington; Augustinov, Ivan; Bogdanović Radović, Iva (2025) Selecting the optimal ion beam for sequential MeV secondary ion mass spectrometry and particle-induced X‑ray emission in the characterization of biological and cultural heritage materials. Analytical Chemistry, 97 (47). pp. 26160-26166. ISSN 1520-6882

PDF - Accepted Version - article Restricted to Closed Access until 17 November 2026. Download (850kB) | Request a personal copy from author

Abstract

High-content chemical characterization of organic materialsessential in fields such as biology and cultural heritage requires simultaneous acquisition of both molecular and elemental information. Usually, this involves the use of multiple techniques on different instruments, increasing the complexity of the analytical process and introducing potential risks of sample cross-contamination. In this study, an integrated method is presented for the combined molecular and elemental analysis of organic materials utilizing Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry with MeV ions (MeV SIMS) and Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE), conducted sequentially using a single ion beam. Since MeV SIMS and PIXE typically require different ion species, a feasibility study has been conducted to evaluate the use of a single ion type specifically helium (He), oxygen (O), and silicon (Si) for both techniques. For the first time, it is demonstrated that MeV SIMS can be performed using He ions in the MeV energy range. Furthermore, the optimized analytical workflow shows that due to ion-beam-induced damage, MeV SIMS must be performed prior to PIXE to preserve molecular information. The approach was validated using representative test samples (leucine amino acid and a commercial artists’ resin-oil color paint) of materials of significance to both biological and heritage research.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sequential imaging; MeV SIMS; PIXE
Subjects:	NATURAL SCIENCES > Physics
Divisions:	Division of Experimental Physics
Projects:	Project title Project leader Project code Project type Sekvencijalno molekularno i elementno mapiranje korištenjem MeV SIMS-a i drugih IBA tehnika Iva Bogdanović Radović IP-2024-05-8924 znanstveno-istraživački
Depositing User:	Matea Krmpotić
Date Deposited:	11 Dec 2025 13:49
URI:	http://fulir.irb.hr/id/eprint/10372
DOI:	10.1021/acs.analchem.5c05152

Actions (login required)

View Item